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Topic: styling ideas (Read 2840 times)

Hello all. Just bought this tree and wanted some opinions /ideas for future work on it. I've shown the branches I'm thinking of eventually removing. It needs some heavier bottom growth so I'm thinking of doing some needle thinning on top soon and maybe cut a couple of the crown branches to try and get some growth below. In June/July I'll pinch the vigourous top candles as well. Next year if all goes well with lusher bottom growth, I'd like to remove the largest top area, and then the following year the lower bar branch and upward growing one. Any thoughts from experienced JBP folks?

Looks like a good plan for your cuts. What kind of soil is it in? It looks like a Brussel's tree, and their soil isn't the best. If it were mine I would likely try to repot into good soil this Spring or next.

Also, June/July isn't for pinching, it's for decandling. If you're wanting to pinch that will likely be in April.

I got it on Ebay, so not a Brussels. Don't know what kind of soil its in as its still being shipped, but will likely repot it this spring if it seems to need it. I'm fairly new to pines, what's the difference between pinching and decandling? Is pinching partial removal and decandling total removal?

In what City/State are you located? Are there any clubs or knowledgeable bonsai people in the area?

There's a lot of knowledge to digest about pines, and a lot of bad information out there. Once you know some basics to follow you should be ok.

Here's what works for me, in my area, with my soil/water/fertilizer/weather, etc. Your mileage may vary.

- Boon soil mix (akadama/pumice/lava)- Pinch to control overly strong growth in April (pinch the candles with your finger tips, in half or thereabouts, to relatively same size)- Decandle in June using either 10 day or peg method- Fertilize a ton in Spring, remove at decandling, fertilize again 4/6/8 weeks later

All of this is more or less for developed trees. You'll likely want to change things based on what you're trying to accomplish. Say, if you want a specific branch to thicken you will likely skip decandling it this year. If you're growing a new apex, let it run, etc.

Pinching is for breaking the spring candles to prevent excessive growth in a specific area, to balance spring growth.

Decandling with needle reduction is done to balance the growth of summer candles, this will increase the level of fine branching and will eventually result in shorter needles. But, most importantly it gives you the opportunity to balance the growth on weaker branches with that on the stronger ones.